The present invention relates to a seal for sealing the joint between two contiguous surfaces disposed at an angle to each other, such as, but not limited to the horizontal joint between a tiled wall and a shower tray or bath.
The main prior art methods of sealing the junction of walls and horizontal surfaces (such as shower trays, baths and worktops) are as follows.
METHOD A: Semi-rigid (typically uPVC) quadrant or scotia type profile sealing strips, with or without additional components, that have soft butyl rubber sealing lips attached to the upper most and/or outer most boundaries, are surface mounted onto, or partially recessed into the wall surface, to form a seal with horizontal surfaces.
METHOD B: A sealant material (typically silicone, acrylic, or latex based) is extruded into or over the horizontal or vertical joint
METHOD C: Quadrant tiles are laid over the horizontal or vertical joint.
METHOD D: The receptacle may have an upstanding flange attached to the outermost boundary that is partially recessed into the wall and tiled over.
METHOD E: A flexible silicone/Upvc based tape has a peel off paper back adhesive strip (typically butyl rubber) attached to the inner face. The tape has a score line indicating the bending location. The peel off paper is removed and laid onto each surface defining the joint.
METHOD F: Two interlocatable strips are profiled for installation onto two adjacent surfaces respectively. A third strip may be introduced to aid installation.
The main disadvantages of the above arrangements are that in the case of prior art method A, soft lips perish, shrink, harden and leak in shower areas. In the case of prior art method B the exposed sealant is unsightly. In the case of prior art methods A, E and F the corner details are poor, in some cases the sealing extrusions are just butt jointed rigidly with glue and/or mitre supports and/or comer moulds, and when differential joint movement occurs, these joints may leak, repairs arc awkward as existing surfaces are contacted, and the bonding of additional sealing materials is difficult. In the case of prior art method E, the strips are generally regarded as having a short life span.
It is the object of this invention to provide a sealing member that may readily installed, and adapted to overcome or substantially reduce the aforementioned problems.
WO-A-98 40284 discloses a sealing assembly which is adapted to maintain a sealed joint between vertical and horizontal surfaces. The assembly comprises a wall trim, side trim and side mitre pieces. An elastic sealing material is located between the wall trim and the horizontal surface and can compensate for differential horizontal surface movement.
WO-A-98 40284 discloses a sealing assembly which is adapted to maintain a sealed joint between vertical and horizontal surfaces. The assembly comprises a wall trim, side trim and side trim mitre pieces. An elastic sealing material is located between the wall trim and the horizontal surface and can compensate for differential horizontal surface movement.
According to the present invention there s provided a sealing member adapted to be installed independently or as a component of a sealing assembly, to maintain a sealed joint between relatively vertical and horizontal surfaces, being either straight linear or comer joints, the sealing member comprising a first substantially rigid limb having an upper boundary and a lower boundary between which there extends on each side of the limb an inner face and an outer face, the outer face of which is adapted wholly or in part to be fixed and/or sealed to the relatively vertical surface, and from which inner face upper boundary or lower boundary there extends at least one second substantially rigid limb having an inner boundary and an outer boundary, the inner boundary of which is attached to the inner face upper boundary and/or lower boundary of the first limb, and between which inner and outer boundaries there extends on each side of the second limb an upper face and a lower face, the lower face of which is adapted wholly or in part to be sealed to the relatively horizontal surfaces, and/or accommodate and retain a sealing material between the said second limb lower face and the horizontal surface, characterized in that the first limb inner face and/or the second limb lower face is wholly or in part layered with an anti-adherent material to form a releasable shuttering for the sealing material in the cavity formed between the first limb inner face and/or the second limb lower face and the adjacent horizontal surface, thereby providing a continuous up-standing containment cavity for the applied sealing material that will form a boundary wall bonded to the horizontal surface, yet wholly or partially independent and/or releasable from the seal member to which initially attached.
Optionally the anti-adherent material is typically though not exclusively a polythene tape, and/or an anti-stick film spray, and/or a co-extruded material and/or a complementary extrusion.
Optionally the sealing material is typically though not exclusively, independently or in combination, a silicone and/or a complementary extrusion and/or a butyl tape and/or a sealant material.
In a first embodiment the anti-adherent material is a polythene tape coated on one side with pressure sensitive adhesive that bonds the tape onto surfaces of seal member desired not to form a bond with the sealing material or parts there of.
In a second embodiment the anti-adherent material may be an extrusion adapted to be layered against the seal member to form a shuttering between the sealing material and those surfaces of seal member desired not to form a bond with the sealant material.
Advantageously an extrusion may be adapted to be employed simultaneously as a part sealing material and an anti-adherent material.
Preferably a substantially three sided extrusion employed both as a part sealing material and an anti-adherent material, may be adapted through the provision of an longitudinal channel along it""s lowermost side to conserve and/or restrict the volume of sealing material used.
Alternatively an extrusion employed both as a part sealing material and an anti-adherent material is adapted through the provision of at least one tare away strip attached to the lowermost face to be adjustably positioned on a surface, as the seal member may require.
Optionally an extrusion adapted to be employed both as a part sealing material and an anti-adherent material may be adapted to form a key or bond between the lower face and the sealing material through the provision of ribs and/or recesses along the outer lowermost face.
Preferably the first and/or second limbs of the seal member are adapted to drain off water that may fall there on and/or engage complementary seal members.
The outside face of the first limb has a plurality of ridges and/or recesses and/or contact points and/or holes to accommodate fixing and/or sealing adhesive materials.
If desired the height of the first limb may be reduced through the provision of at least one weakening score line, defining a longitudinal area along the lower boundary that may be easily removed, to determine the gap between outer boundary of the second limb and a second surface.
The second limb profile is wholly and/or in any series combination, convex and/or concave and/or planer.
Optionally from the junction where the first limb meets second limb, the sectional thickness of second limb is suitable reduced as it extends to it""s outer boundary to allow flexible movement against the sealing materials.
In another embodiment a third limb extends out from the first limb and below the second limb, to conserve and/or restrict the volume of sealing material used.
Optionally the connection between the first limb and the second limb is flexibly adapted to accommodate the retro-application of a sealing material under and/or behind the second limb and/or accommodate lateral movement of the sealing material away from the first limb.
In another embodiment the second limb is partially adapted to extend back onto or above the first limb to encompass a sealant reservoir against the first limb or vertical surface, and overlap the sealant reservoir encompassed between the first limb and/or the second limb and the horizontal surface.
Optionally the upper seal member boundary is adapted to be engaged between the vertical surface and an applied covering, and/or adapted to support said applied covering.
If desired the said adapted supporting upper seal member boundary may be optionally removed through the provision of at least one weakening score line below the said adaptation, defining a longitudinal area that may be easily removed.
Advantageously, a third limb extends from the outer face of the first limb with the lower face of the third limb being coated with an anti-adherent material.
In a further embodiment of this invention two seal members may be inter connected and/or complementarily profiled to seal the joint between two adjacent surfaces.